The Road to Dawn
by KreadStornham
Summary: Quirkless Izuku dreams of being a hero. Instead, he's trapped in a world of constant abuse. Nothing exists to stop people from doing whatever they want... at least not in the public eye. But a war is happening in the shadows: Heroes exist no matter what after all. (Alternate Universe where there are more villains that heroes, with each side rallied under their respective champion)
1. Prologue

Prologue:

Izuku Midoriya (age Eight)

All was quiet in the Midoriya residence by well past midnight. Or at least, it should have been. Izuku was well aware of how much trouble he'd get in for being up so late, and being on a random chat site on top of that. But no matter how he tried, he couldn't stay away. Despite the way his eyes burned by two am, he couldn't help but grin constantly as he surfed through the list of sites he kept taped to the underside of his desk.

On the screen, a low-quality clip played out: three men trying to break into a store were suddenly wrapped up in a long cloth like binding. After the initial run, a slowed down version played, showing a large yellow and blue blur that blurred even at the slowest frame rate. This was a rare clip; most of the time, the vigilante in question was too fast for any camera at all. But more and more often people were catching the blur as he went to work. Never seen on camera, whispered about on chat forums and back net video sites… People only knew two things about the blur.

He was a superhuman, more powerful than anything people had seen before… And someone had once leaked his name in a chat link.

 _All Might…_ Izuku murmured through an aching smile. _All Might… Someday… I'll find you!_

Ochako Uraraka (age Eight)

As soon as the knock at the door came, Ochako was hiding. She quivered in between the walls of the apartment, listening as those nasty voices mixed with the voices of her mommy and daddy. She clenched her eyes shut, listening to her heart beat and sound of her own shaking as the arguments began.

It wasn't until her mommy tapped on the wall with her special knock that Ochako knew she could crawl out. Her daddy had built the extra wall, with enough space for a small girl like Ochako to squeeze in between and hide; it opened underneath the closet, behind all the long coats and a stack of boxes. The moment she was free, Ochako's mommy gripped her in a hug tight enough to suffocate her. Ochako returned it with all the same fierceness, trembling all the while.

"Daddy…" Ochako looked around, then noticed where her father was lying on the floor. He'd taken another beating. Ochako's mommy wiped her face and shooed Ochako to her room. "But… Daddy…"

"Mommy will help daddy, sweetheart, now go to your room okay?" Ochako could see the tears behind mommy's smile, and how scared she was. Mommy was always scared after the villains visited.

Ochako was, too, but mommy had to look after daddy. And Ochako wasn't allowed outside anyways.

Shouto Todoroki (age Eight)

The door slammed, shaking the entire house with the force of its closing. Shouto was already awake, too tortured by nightmares and his fear of the dark to fall asleep. When the door slammed he flinched, but got out of bed and wandered to the door of his room. Judging from the footsteps, it was Enji. As his father came closer to Shouto's room, Shouto ducked back into his room and hid under the covers.

Enji was wearing his flames again.

Shouto remained as still as possible as his father's footsteps came close, closer… closer…

"Shouto…?" Enji's voice rang out low through the room, through the door. After a moment, Enji grunted and continued walking to his own room.

Shouto let out the breath he'd been holding. It had been years since his father had started going out all hours of the night (sometimes even during the day for that matter), wearing fire like a cloak and looking at everything with scary eyes. How long had it been since Shouto had seen him return covered in blood? Shouto could still remember the smell, the way the blood roasted slowly where it had overdried on Enji's skin and shirt, and the look in his father's eyes as he'd tried to hug Shouto.

He'd almost forgotten he was wearing the flames on his arms, and ruined Shouto's nightclothes in the process.

The nightmares had gotten worse after that.


	2. Chapter 1

Chpt 1: Catalyst (Bakugo's Start Line)

Izuku Midoriya (age Fourteen)

Izuku Midoriya wasn't a good looking individual. Most people would call him plain; the only things that stood out were the scattered freckles on his face and his weedlike hair. But somehow, despite being plain, he stuck out like a sore thumb. Part of him wanted to break the mirror. A very large part. Standing stripped down to his underwear in front of the mirror, every scar and blemish that other people had left in his skin stood out like the trademark signs of some serious illness. In a sense, he could have called it that; whether it be the cruelty of the world or the cruelty of his own race… or perhaps his own fate. Some days he wasn't sure if it was the people… or his own bad luck that hated more.

The young man shook his head to break himself out of his thoughts. He cringed before the mirror, but he inspected his newest wound carefully nonetheless. Bullies had caught him again, and used him for target practice. All over his body were light scratches or cuts. His wrists burned from a rash where they'd used his hands to suspend him against the wall, and he'd scraped knee from falling to the ground. While most of his wounds weren't an issue, he had two new ones that would need attention.

First was the bruise on his hip -a rock user from his class had shot him to test his accuracy- that was gradually growing darker and darker. Taking bandages, he wrapped his waist as tightly as he could stand, with a gauze patch between. Then came the burns on his arms.

Considering some of the darker and more… mottled patches of skin covering his body, Izuku was just thankful that the burns weren't second degree. Something had caused Bakugo to throttle the blasts today.

 _"Eh? You're not going to beg us to stop?" Bakugo chuckled as he hoisted Midoriya off the ground. The hand gripping Midoriya's wrist popped with small explosions, singeing the skin of his forearms till the heat wouldn't fade away. Gasping as he was slammed against the wall, Midoriya screamed as his other arm received the same treatment. "C'mon, beg us to stop, nerd. Threaten to tell someone. I DARE YOU!"_

Izuku groaned as he slathered the burn cream over his arms and wrapped more gauze and bandages over the wounds. After he was finished he rand a hand idly over the old wounds. The worst of them were burn scars from Bakugo's bad days, but there were others. A star shaped puncture wound from where someone had run him through with a rod of some kind, just beneath his ribs on his right side. A large blotch of darkened skin on his heart in the shape of a hand, his oldest burn… the only one he hadn't received from Bakugo, actually. On his chest there was a long, straight line from where he'd had to have surgery mending the organs under his broken ribs.

When he was finished remembering the list of old wounds he stowed the medical supplies in their case under his bed. Slowly, he pulled on a long-sleeved shirt and pants, then slipped some fuzzy wristbands over his hands. As much as he hated lying to his mother, he couldn't let her know how badly he was hurt either. The smiley faces on the back of the bright green wrist bands were a good enough excuse. His mother just gave him a familiar sad look when he told her that the accessories were there to remind him to smile.

Surfing the internet for internal bruising advice, Izuku couldn't help glancing at his bed constantly. Considering the time, Izuku only had about an hour before his mother would return home, and in that hour… Minimizing his medical searching, Izuku pulled a black box out from where he'd hidden it. Inside were a series of notebooks, folders, and a calendar. Circled in red was the day's date, all the way down to the end of the week: a reminder that his insane plan was supposed to begin that evening. For a moment he smiled, forgetting the pain that wracked his body as he thought back to his plans.

Izuku HAD to find him. He could feel it in his bones. If he missed this chance…

He'd never be able to meet his hero.

Dinner was plain. Izuku and his mother didn't talk much. Both of them wanted to talk to the other, but couldn't find the words. Guilt and exhaustion weighed them down, forcing whatever they thought to say straight back down their throats. Just another night of quiet 'family time' before each cleaned up the kitchen and went to bed.

Izuku didn't go to bed.

He did a little more research on tending his wounds, then checked his wraps. Once he'd popped a few more pain pills, Izuku pulled on a gray sweater, then donned a pitch-black shirt over that. Wearing gloves of mottled gray and black, he dressed in black pants and a second pair of sneakers, painted the same color. It was an odd outfit, but it suited his purpose. Once he was dressed and finished checking the rest of his equipment, he flopped down on the bed and dozed.

The sound of his phone buzzing quietly woke him. As quietly as possible he snuck out of the apartment and down the stairs. His apartment complex was dangerous: they were serious about security, so the cameras were in each level of the stairs and guards circled around occasionally. Getting out without being seen was difficult. On his way Izuku couldn't help imagining all the quirks he'd researched, and which ones would help him escape his little prison.

Something about the city bothered him.

During the day, people moved about as little as possible, but that didn't mean that there weren't people out just trying to enjoy their day. Cars hummed and roared down streets, sputtered at stop lights and down back alleys. People made little noises, like footsteps and grunts and conversation. Trains roared along the tracks, but they weren't as important as what was right in front of him; the rumble and tremors that came from the trains bubbled underneath the regular din of the everyday commuter.

After curfew, the world seemed hollow. The sidewalks had no people and almost no cars drove down the streets. Lights and signs seemed to fade, except the stoplights: they glowed like sinister blinking red eyes on the horizon. Silence dominated the city… at least for a little while.

Under the silence and the darkness, Izuku darted through alleys and down sidewalks. He kept to the alleys as much as possible, but the silence unnerved him. The silence didn't last though. Slowly the city began to stir.

Dogs' barking sent Izuku leaping into the air all but shrieking. Cats slinking around corners and through alleys made him pause and shake under their gleaming stare. A siren came from the distance, and others rose up to answer the call. Izuku couldn't shake the image of a pack of wolves prowling the city, howling sirens as they ran the streets. Glass shattered occasionally, then more and more frequently as he crept further from home. Rude laughter and gunshots sounded from around corners. Izuku always ran from those. Barely an hour passed before Izuku caught himself thinking of 'demons' on his trail. Whatever he'd imagined before, the city was far worse than he'd thought at night.

Izuku's first shaking fit came as he was hiding from a squad of cop cars. Panic suddenly overwhelmed him; for no reason at all, he was unable to move. With a hand clasped tightly over his own mouth, he slowly became more and more overwhelmed by the sound of the blood in his own ears. His heart hammered away until he thought he might have a heart attack. Checking his watch told him that only three and a half minutes had passed. He gasped for breath, but it barely helped to calm him down at all… instead he pulled the neck of his shirts away from his skin and fanned himself.

Get a hold of yourself, dumbass! This isn't the time to go crazy! Izuku screamed at himself. He dashed out from the planter where he'd been hiding, crossed the street and hid in a corner as a lone police car drove by a few seconds later. Moving, he discovered, bit down all the fear and nausea that threatened to choke him. So he kept moving, constantly dodging from place to place. It didn't stop his heart rate from increasing slowly, but it at least kept him sane. His brain felt as if it had been dumped in ice water.

Izuku's target was a small shopping mall that had become a local favorite for the gangs to hang out. Despite the increased security of the shop owners, the villains and gang kids amused themselves by having contests over who could break into where, steal the most, and anything else along those lines. Ducking into a door frame, he pulled off his bag and opened it up once he was close enough.

Preparing for his outing hadn't been easy. Hiding who he was and recording evidence meant a mask and a camera; both had cost him everything he'd saved up for ten years. The mask was plastic, with a cloth face mask underneath. It secured to the head snuggly, with a pull over for Izuku's hair, and had a slot for the camera on the side of his head. A pair of lenses gave him the option of night vision, but he didn't care for having the whole world dyed green. It was his least favorite color after all. He checked his reflection in the window and laughed quietly to himself. If anyone looked like a villain, it was him; but he also could have been a hero. Maybe. The thought purged him of fear completely, if momentarily.

"Hero observation diary, day one." Turning on the camera, he spoke quietly through his mask. With a nod to confirm his resolve, he darted off into the night again.

Interlude

Katsuki Bakugo (age Fourteen)

Katsuki woke up on an unfamiliar couch. His head hurt, as did most of his body; it seemed hard to breath, as if he'd been choked out again. Snarling at the empty room, he ran a hand through his spiky blond hair and tried to remember the night before.

The party at the mall… Riptide had tried setting up some of his friends. Everything had gone to shit after that. Cops, explosions and gunfire, people fleeing in every direction and screaming, shouting... His eyes widened as he remembered the asshole made of sludge. The slime had enveloped him in a flash, and forced itself down his throat and into his ears. Slowly his vision had failed him… and then he'd been free. The slime raced off down an alley, chasing someone who'd dived into the slime to save them. Katsuki growled, but no matter how hard he tried he could only remember that they'd been dressed in black wearing a backpack. When he'd gotten up to give chase…

The cop. His hand had settled on the body of a dead cop. Thrown into the sludge villain, the body had taken Katsuki and his friends with it all the way through the goo.

Fuck… Katsuki growled to himself. A series of pops sounded from his hand as he remembered being saved. Saved! Someone had saved him! What the fuck had he been doing?

"You're awake, then." Katsuki glared up at the new face in the room. A tall young man with a shaved head, older than high school but not a salaryman by any standard, leaned against the door frame. His expression was indifferent, but something about him told Katsuki to be careful with him.

"The fuck do you want, shithead? Where am I?" The man laughed.

"We haven't met yet. People call me Rusty." Katsuki froze, glaring at the man. Rusty was the supposed leader of the gang that Katsuki had taken a liking to, a ghost who never really showed up around other gangs because of the ridiculous bounty on his head. "And you're in my house. Play nice, flashbang."

Katsuki growled at the gang's nickname for him. Use a technique one time… Fuck! Rusty? FUCK!

"Why am I here?" Rusty shrugged.

"We needed to regroup. And I need to hear your end of the story." Rusty walked inside, still as nonchalant as ever, and took a seat in the armchair to Katsuki's right. "A lot happened last night. Walk me through it."

"The fuck? Ask your bitch." Katsuki glared at Rusty, shifting to the other side of the couch as the other man took a seat.

"I heard Riptide's story." Rusty's eyes settled on Katsuki, and for a moment Katsuki broke out in a cold sweat. "I want yours now. Talk."

"…Fine…" Katsuki said quietly. He started from their arrival at the hangout, interacting with people that they knew from the other local groups and poking fun at the new guys. Riptide had forced a few of Katsuki's friends into moving in a competition, against Katsuki's word. An alarm had sounded, and everything had gone to shit. Cops showed up five minutes later, but it had turned into an all-out war zone. Sludge man had shown up a few minutes after the cops, blown up their cars and suffocated three of them. After that, Katsuki barely remembered stumbling off with his friends on his back.

Rusty listened to everything without questioning anything. When Katsuki was done, Rusty took a deep breath, closed his eyes and thought. Katsuki could almost see the gears turning in Rusty's head. It weirded him out. Finally, Rusty stood and made a gesture to follow him. Katsuki did, growling quietly to himself.

Riptide sat in the other room, chatting with some punk chick. When they entered, Riptide's eyes bugged out of his head.

"Boss, please tell me you brought him here to teach him a lesson."

Rusty never said a word. Katsuki didn't even have time to blink before Riptide was on the ground screaming in agony and clutching his neck. Rusty sat in a chair at the table Riptide had been sitting at beforehand, but nothing had changed; he still couldn't give a fuck if he tried. Katsuki smiled as he felt shivers run down his spine. The girl had tried to help Riptide, but not without a glance at Rusty for the okay. After the screaming thug had been dragged out of the room, Rusty sighed and motioned for Katsuki to sit down. When Katsuki shoved his hands into his pockets instead, Rusty just shrugged.

"Back in the day, things were simpler. The police had a serious force, and people like us were at war if we ever stepped out in a group. Nowadays, you can do whatever you like if you're willing to fight a bit. If you can win. Riptide… he's been a problem for a while now. He tells a story, then three people tell me a different story. I don't like liars, or people willing to sacrifice my crew for their own whims." Rusty stated. His eyes settled on Katsuki. "My quirk allows me to rust metal. When I was younger, I was pretty good. Then I realized that the more I could use my quirk, the more power I'd have over this place."

Katsuki's eyes widened. Something didn't seem right about that; blood and bone weren't metal, and rust… His eyes scrunched up as he met Rusty's stare. Slowly Rusty began to smile; unlike Katsuki, who smiled out of anticipation and fear, Rusty seemed to enjoy the look on Katsuki's face. Or maybe he was thinking of Riptide.

"After a while, I could do a little bit with the metals in concrete… and once the metal was gone the concrete just sort of rotted away. The stronger I got, the more I could affect and the more I could push my limits. One day, though, I got mad and I used this on a person. It's not really the same… but it's not a joke. Do you know what happens when your bone rots inside your skin?" Katsuki trembled as Rusty's grin grew, slowly, with his speech. "First it poisons your blood… then it starts breaking down and the muscles attached there go slack as they lose their anchor… But it's the blood that really gets to you. Blood poisoning is a serious problem."

"You just put one of your own guys in the hospital…?" Katsuki snarled, still trembling. He couldn't move; he knew that. But Rusty shrugged at his words.

"He was a liability. And he broke the rules I laid down for everyone in my crew." Rusty fixed him with a serious look. "On the other hand… we found you stumbling around, half dead and carrying three people on your back in the alleys a block away. You didn't give them up to save you own skin."

Katsuki cursed under his breath. Rusty stood up, and extended a hand to him. Katsuki's eyes went wide, but Rusty's hand stopped halfway. The mania seemed to have disappeared, but he was sure that somewhere along the way Rusty had lost his mind.

"There seems to be an opening in the gang. You want in?" Rusty's eyes sparkled as he stared Katsuki down.


	3. Chapter 2

Chpt 2: Looking through the Glass (The Beginning of the End)

Izuku Midoriya (age Fourteen)

Izuku woke up in a sleeping bag on a concrete floor, alone in a tiny back room… somewhere. He stirred a bit, then jerked awake in fear.

 _W-w-w-w-w-what… W-w-w-where am I…?_ He began muttering to himself. _I remember the gangs, the fights… then the siren and the cops and the sludge… Wait, the sludge? I almost died?! What happened, why am I…_

A deep laugh shook the tiny room he was in.

"It sounds like our guest is awake! I'll go check on him." Izuku froze, putting his back in the corner and covering himself with the sleeping bag as footsteps approached the door from the other side. A single light bulb, the only source of the light for the room, bounced and swayed as the footsteps grew closer. Suddenly the door was flung open and… blond?

Izuku's eyes went wide as a massive person stooped and poked their head inside the room. A broad face, with a wide smile and deeply set icy blue eyes, topped by the pair of blond, V-shaped bangs poking up from his head, now peered at Izuku.

"Are you all right, young man?" Izuku's mind went blank.

"You… y-y-y-y-you wouldn't h-h-h-h-happen… to b-b-b-b-be… All…"

"Is the boy awake or not, you great fool!" A well-aged (and well-annoyed) voice called. Suddenly the massive person from before grunted and was, apparently, shooed away as a short man in a yellow suit came striding in. While the first man's eyes were shadowed by his brow, the short one peered out from behind a mask of white eyes in black that clung snugly to his face.

"Are you all right, boy?" Izuku squeaked and nodded in response. His mind was still working on overdrive, trying to confirm what he'd seen, when…

"You see, dumbass? You scared him half to death poking in like that!" The giant began to wither where he peeked in. Old man or not, the geezer seemed to be in command.

"It's not like that!" Izuku suddenly broke out. "I just didn't really remember, and then All Might came in and then I couldn't really say anything I mean he's All Might what would I possibly be able to say he saved my life, thank you so much I mean…!"

"…You know his name?" Izuku went quiet as a bunny when the short man began to glare. The aura switched from 'annoyed old timer' to 'single deadliest man in the world' in an instant; before he could apologize or explain he was against the wall, chest pressed tight underneath the old man's foot. Even while breathless from the impact, Izuku instantly saw through the old man's quirk.

"Gran… Torino…?" He sputtered under his breath. The old man's eyes widened behind the mask. "(cough)…I've seen your…(cough) quirk… You're Gran Torino!"

"Who sent you here, boy?" Gran Torino growled. Izuku paled at the murderous tone.

"I-I-I…"

"Answer me, now!"

"I'm sorry!" Izuku shouted as he bowed his head. He couldn't see it (his eyes were squeezed shut as tightly as possible) but his actions caught his interrogators off guard. "I didn't mean to cause trouble! No one sent me! I just wanted to see heroes in action! I've admired you all my life! I'm sorry for causing you trouble!"

A long silence filled the space between them. Izuku felt the tears in his eyes, and so he kept them shut. But a laugh from the other room caught his ear.

"Calm down you two. You're going to scare him half to death." Izuku's eyes went wide as All Might pulled back from the door and an… incredibly fat man poked his head in. He wore a white suit, but Izuku couldn't really see much other than how fat he was. And the broad, toothy grin on his face. "Do you feel better this morning, young man?"

"I… Yes… sir…"

"Good! Would you mind coming out so we can take a look at you?" Izuku's eyes went wide, but Gran Torino simply dragged the boy to his feet and pushed him along until he walked out through the door… and nearly died from the flooding emotions inside him.

The room was full of men and women, all various ages, appearances and dress (mostly costume or civilian clothing). He tried counting and simply couldn't. There were far too many of them. For the most part he recognized them: they were the ones he'd spent the past seven years researching and admiring. Night after night, he would dive into the internet chat rooms dedicated to these people, and he would debate with others about clips and info.

Izuku Midoriya stood in a room full of heroes.

After the initial shock of that fact wore off, he was immediately made aware that every single one of his heroes was staring at _him._ Some had to poke around to get a good look, but they were all staring at him. A small portion of his brain noticed the look in their eyes and knew that they were evaluating him. Checking him.

Wondering if he was friend or foe.

Barely three seconds after walking into the room Izuku collapsed and scurried backward, only to reach a wall and cower there as the intensity of the stares made him start to hyperventilate…

Fat man let out a throaty chuckle and stood Izuku up, then pushed him to stand by the table in the room. A projector laid a map of japan up against the wall behind Izuku, while the heroes stood in the open space across the table from him and to his left. The table was easily as long as he was tall (not particularly saying much) and as wide, too. Across it was a series of documents, like city maps and building plans, but on top of those…

"My backpack…?" Izuku murmured, seeing his bag and belongings scattered across the table. The big man set a hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry for the scare back there. These two don't really know how to hold back… well, I suppose they've got their reasons. We all need to be careful. I hope you can forgive us." Izuku frantically apologized and bowed, drawing a chuckle from the heroes. His blush only made it worse. All Might and Gran Torino sighed and stood in the corner to Izuku's right, seemingly in charge of the gathering.

"Whether we knew he was a nerd or not doesn't matter, Fat Gum." Gran Torino snapped. The look he gave Izuku could have killed. "They could have sent him. We can't just pick up strays off the damn street, giant fool!"

Gran Torino kicked at All Might, who only muttered apologies. After they were done, All Might turned to Izuku.

"Young man, I would like to complement your actions last night. Regardless of our behavior till now, you were truly brave to save those boys. After you passed out I had no choice but to bring you here and ensure your safety."

"Ah…" Izuku gasped. "The mall, the police…! Was everyone alright?" All Might sighed.

"The turnout was bad. Despite my intervention, the first attack from the sludge man's gang killed several officers. Most of them got away, but the slime was collected and handled. We did catch some of the men and women, but there was a panic. However, you saved several of them by acting the way you did. It deserves praise. Everyone here agrees."

"I… I don't even remember…" Izuku swallowed, then chuckled at the shaking in his fingers. "I don't remember moving. Or anything, really, after the explosion. I just saw my friend in the sludge…"

"Your friend?" All Might's voice changed. Izuku waved his hands wildly.

"No no no! He… used to be my friend. He changed back when he got his quirk! I didn't know he'd be there, I swear! I was hiding from him!"

"Calm down, young man. I believe you. We saw nearly the whole thing." All Might said more calmly. "And in regards to that… deliberate or not, you were a hero. The fact that you did so out of instinct and reaction only makes it more impressive, in my opinion."

Izuku blushed fiercely, suddenly very aware that his hero was praising him.

"T-t-t-thank you…"

"There. You said what you need to, fool. Let him go so he can get himself home. His parents are probably worried."

Izuku's eyes went wide.

"It's… Oh, mom!" He moaned. The heroes chuckled amongst themselves.

"I'd like to take him there myself, if I may." The room went silent. Gran Torino glared at All Might, and the rest seemed too shocked for words. Izuku himself was in disbelief at the hero's request. Eventually, though, Gran Torino sent them along. Izuku cowered beside All Might, now dressed in a trench coat and not the tight red and blue suit he'd worn the night before. Neither spoke. They simply rode train after train until they arrived at Izuku's local area of Musutafu. Four blocks from his apartment complex, All Might stopped.

"Would you mind accompanying me for a short talk, young man?" Izuku nodded dumbly and followed his idol as they headed into a park. Despite Izuku's fears, it was very early morning; there was almost no one awake, let alone out and about. "My apologies for the shock you must have had when you woke. We were worried about your health… and for our own safety. But it was unkind of us to go about it like that."

"N-n-not at all… I would have done the same, in your position… Though I may have just left me there in the mall…" All Might chuckled.

"I don't know you at all, but I sincerely doubt that. You seem to be a young man of good character and a kind heart. You're exactly the kind of young man who makes us heroes do what we do. The exact kind who would be invaluable in our fight against villains." All Might spared Izuku a glance, and the combination stopped Izuku in his tracks. Fists clenched, Izuku stared at the concrete beneath his feet.

Despite the fact that he'd met All Might, despite the fact that his hero above all heroes was offering him the very thing he wanted most in the world, fear ate at his insides until he felt cold and hollow. He could feel his worst nightmares coming true inside his wildest dreams... It made him sick to his stomach.

"You don't seem like the kind to be afraid. Is something wrong?" Izuku swallowed, avoiding All Might's eyes. For some reason they seemed to _glow_ inside the black sclera, which made him a hundred times more intimidating.

"I… anyone would be afraid. Heroes risk their lives. They have to hide from everyone, and going up against the gangs is nearly suicide. I've seen that… online, on television… in real life…"

"But you still leapt out, didn't you. To protect your friend." _Yes… I did! I couldn't help it!_

"That was stupid. I nearly died." _I couldn't let him die! Even if I did… that would be…_

"You're still here, young man. And I don't think you're afraid." _I want this more than anything! I…_

"No… I mean I don't… _think_ I am…"

"You're quirkless, aren't you?"

The dam inside him broke, and Izuku collapsed.

Interlude

Yaoyorozu Momo (age Fourteen)

The walls of her room cracked and trembled again. She sighed, trying to get what little she could. But sleep wouldn't come. A few minutes later, the walls cracked again, bad enough that dust fell from the ceiling. Rolling over onto her side, Momo tried to look at the wall.

 _Was that crack always there…?_

Another tremor. The wall _bulged_. Momo screamed as it was shattered, raining rubble down on the little cot she was allowed.

A black, shadowy creature pushed its way through the hole in the wall. Its eyes glowed like yellow furnace slits; she vaguely wondered if that was how wolves' eyes glowed. A howl echoed as the beast charged for her, reached with multiple claw tipped hands…

In that moment Momo felt death reach out and touch her. Pressed against the wall in her tiny cot, the full body straight jacket she wore completely restricted her movements. On top of everything else her mind was still foggy from the sedatives. No matter what she did her head was thick and her thoughts didn't quite seem… real. Or maybe they were just scattered? They seemed too real sometimes.

Something inside her snapped. As the monster reached for her, everything seemed to blur. Her body felt as if it were on the verge of breaking. With a scream blades pushed their way out of her body, hard enough that the straight jacket tore to shreds and the monster retreated with a grunt of confusion. Closing her eyes as tightly as she could, she popped four flash grenades from her stomach and pulled the pins.

After several minutes of dizziness Momo managed to climb onto her feet, though she was too unsteady to be alright. She could taste metal on her tongue, and realized it was blood; the left side of her face was covered in it. Without thinking any more of it she took a step forward.

Lying in the middle of her room was a weak looking young man. His head was a bird's head, but otherwise… he was human. Dressed in rags, sickly and looking… very much like she herself looked. She shook him awake, producing a cup and water from her side. He sipped slowly, groaning at the movements.

Momo couldn't find the words. It had been too long since she'd spoken to anyone. So they simply waited until the door was kicked down and the Yakuza came to see what the problem was.

P.S.

Hey everyone! Kread here.

So, a few things. Firstly I got some help checking the first chapter, and revising it. But from here on I'll probably be doing it mostly myself. I'm a bit of a stickler for grammar and all that, so I'll do my best, but please don't hate me if it ain't perfect.

Second, I wanna thank everyone who read this far. I thoroughly hope that you enjoy this and all the chapters to come.

As a bit of a note, I want to address your doubts, hopes, dreams, nightmares etc. about the story. The point of this is to create a more... brutal, Light vs. Darkness themed version of Midoriya's Japan. My plot-line is focused on a war between All Might's heroes (All Might as the champion of Light) and the designated champions of darkness (for anyone who hasn't caught up to the story, I won't spoil this early)

I can't do it perfectly; I'm ignorant of a lot of Japanese customs, the country's geography, the people and even the author's hopes for the story as it goes. As someone who suffers from a reading addiction I can say that I'm reading the manga on translation and will try to keep this story in line with both my own idea and the author's storyline. This ship has a course, if you will, but it's through foggy waters. Bear with me, and don't hate me if I get things wrong or it seems a little too American.

Fourth thing, I don't own MHA(BNHA) Please support the official release _blah blah blah.._. I strongly encourage you to read it or catch up to the anime, or just enjoy the series. It's become a favorite of mine, along with the fandom surrounding it. The fandoms are actually the reason I ever wrote this to begin with.

Last but not least... I'm a pretty straight shooter (pun intended). Relationships in the story will follow canon as much as possible, though I may throw in a little fun here and there as a part of my own writing style. It isn't in line with the relationship ideals of Japan, I know, but I do enjoy writing the romance, the dating, etc. Be prepared for ordinary ships, barring one or two here and there that break my little rule. I think anyone who pays attention to my chapters will know the first ship (my personal favorite) within the next two or three chapters. If you don't, the sixth chapter will slap you around with it and wake you up. So look forward to that chapter. I put a lot of work into writing it, and I think it feels pretty good.

Hope you guys enjoy the series. Please message me or just comment if you've got criticism, ideas, or just some spare change to leave around for me to sift through. I enjoy getting everyone's ten cents.

Have a good morning/day/night, everyone. Smooth Sailing

Kread Stornham


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: A Spider's Thread (Departure)

Izuku Midoriya (age Fifteen)

Izuku Midoriya wasn't strong. He wasn't special, or powerful, or even good looking really. He was a regular person, trapped in a world of super heroes and super villains. Even though a year had passed since his talk with All Might, Izuku still couldn't fathom what he'd meant. Their talk had been cryptic at best, but the young Midoriya had taken the deal as if it were his last chance at living. Over the past year, he'd trained: All Might had warned him that if he couldn't make it, he wouldn't be surprised… but it was necessary to see if Izuku _could be_ the one. What that meant, or how All Might would accept it, Izuku had no idea. And yet… his life was very different from how it had been a year ago.

Before his run in with the sludge monster and the heroes, he'd been a less than average individual who was at the mercy of anyone who felt like it. Izuku Midoriya wasn't strong, or fast or even capable; he was a target. Forget feelings, intelligence, drive, heart… none of that mattered to people with power. A part of him hated mirrors, because he had to be reminded of his reality, and of the pain.

Despite all that, someone had seen something in him. He'd taken All Might's training schedule and he'd outdone it. Every single one of the people All Might recommended, Izuku visited and begged them to teach him. On the word of the hero, they accepted.

Every day, he was beaten and exhausted. He still studied hero fights, and costumes and browsed the chatrooms. It was a good break from the physical work. Weight lifting, community service, two kinds of martial arts and even a yoga instructor were a part of his day, or at least his every other day. Somewhere along the line he'd assumed that he not only had to follow the plan, but earn the respect of All Might's associates and surpass everything they wanted of him.

Needless to say, he broke every expectation and then some.

The week before the set date, Izuku couldn't sleep. His schedule became another weight on his shoulders, instead of something he could use to escape.

4 am each morning, he woke up and went for a run. Six am he started working the rest of his body with self exercise. Around eight he ate breakfast with his mother; their relationship had brightened the past year, but only so much. Izuku wished he didn't see the questions in her eyes, the worry creasing her face. Most days it would steele him for the rest of the day, but lately it became another thing he dreaded.

School was a problem. People had begun avoiding him more after his encounter with the heroes (his muttering had gone into overdrive, and the sudden change in attitude made people uncomfortable). Once his classmates had discovered he was working out, they laughed and tried to make fun of him. For some reason the slander rolled off Izuku harmlessly. Bakugo, however, pursued him as often as ever. Izuku was a target for his little gang. The reputation Bakugo had built up as a member of one of the local gangs made him even stronger, and it seemed to have the same effect on him that Izuku's meeting with the heroes had on Izuku. Seeing Izuku put on muscle (they'd stripped him multiple times during his beatings) only spurred Bakugo on even more.

Izuku did his best to make it through school however he could. He hid between classes, and he studied as best as he could at nighttime. No matter what, some days he couldn't escape.

After school changed depending on the day. Two days a week he did community service near his home. Every day he had martial arts training, and three days he had sessions with a yoga instructor. After all that he had his second work out session of the day, either before or after dinner, and after that he slept. Or tried to. By Thursday his teachers began to notice his exhaustion. Even still no one asked him if anything was wrong until friday.

All Might had recommended an instructor who used the alias Mirror when he taught classes: Mirror's quirk, 'Simon Says', let him control a person's movement so that they mimicked his exact moves for up to five minutes at a time. Mirror would go spend a half hour on yoga, then lecture Izuku on fighting. When Izuku collapsed halfway through the session, Mirror clicked his tongue and sat down beside him.

"You're off this week, Midoriya. Is something bothering you?" Izuku took a deep breath and sat up.

"No, Sensei. I'm fine. Sorry I'm a little behind."

"So you aren't nervous about All Might coming back?" Izuku blanched. Mirror chuckled at his wide eyed stare. "He checks in with us often, though he shouldn't. Trust me, I'm well aware of why you're here."

"I see… He's been keeping tabs on me…" Izuku murmured. His fists clenched involuntarily, and several emotions leapt up inside of him only to die moments later.

"You're an incredibly student, Midoriya. At first I questioned keeping you around at all." Mirror chuckled. "But after one time I could tell. You're not just anybody. Every teacher you've had this past year must be impressed with you. I'm sure All Might will be impressed as well."

"Ah… you think so… Sensei?"

"I'm sure of it. You're my best student after all. And you're not just some little nerd anymore. When you see him, I'm positive he'll have trouble recognizing you. Though… I doubt anyone would have trouble once they saw your hair." Izuku smiled at Mirror's familiar poke. Mirror took great pride in his appearance, and he'd offered more than once to doctor Izuku's hairdo.

"Thank you, Sensei. I don't know why I'm so worried, honestly… It's not like I could fail expectations he never even gave me." Izuku said quietly. Mirror didn't seem to have a response for that.

When the day finally came Izuku didn't sleep at all. He surfed the chatrooms all night, looking for anything. Strangely, he felt wide awake; his tiredness remained, but it didn't feel as heavy. The anxiety he bore only grew as the night wore on, though. Everyone who looked out for heroes or villains online agreed on the same thing.

It was far too quiet.

Four am came and Izuku headed out on his morning run. All Might was waiting for him at the beach where he usually did his early morning routine.

Izuku froze when he saw the giant in the same trench coat he'd worn that day. His fists clenched unconsciously, and he remembered what had sent him stumbling down the path he was on.

" _You're quirkless aren't you?" A dam inside him broke. Izuku shuddered as if he'd suffered a physical blow, then fell to his knees. That was what kept him from accepting the praise. It held him in check even though he was happier than he'd been in SO long… Sobs escaped him as he began to break down, and the humiliation of crying in front of his idol only added to what he already faced. "It's not something you see these days… I'm a little surprised."_

" _We had to treat you after we brought you back. I saw the scars and bandages. Honestly, I should scold you for being so reckless. Charging into a mall full of gangs without any sort of self defence at all, injured on top of that. Most people wouldn't want to move around with injuries like that. But I only find myself thinking that you're an incredible young man."_

" _H-h-huh?" Izuku stammered, peeking up and seeing All Might's broad grin._

" _Did you expect something terrible, young man?" Izuku turned back to the concrete as All Might laughed. "No. You are something else. Everyone in our hideout knew it when they saw you. Though some might have been a little put off by your research... "_

" _Nevertheless, I think you'd make a fine hero. What do you think?"_

" _I… No one can be a hero without a quirk… I'd just die!" Izuku whispered._

" _Hmmmm… I suppose I can't say otherwise. Several of my closest friends have passed away in this war." All Might paused. "What if I could grant you a wish, young man."_

 _Izuku wiped his eyes as best he could._

" _I don't… understand…"_

" _If you could strike a deal with me and have me grant any wish, what would it be?"_

 _All the time in the world wouldn't change the desire in Izuku's heart. He knew that. But he stopped before he could speak it, hesitating. Again._

" _I want to be a hero! I want to make people feel safe and stop the gangs, the villains, everyone! I want to make sure that people can be happy… in the future…"_

" _That sounds like something you'd wish for. But you know how hopeless that wish may turn out to be, don't you?"_

" _Yes. But I… I've always wanted to be a hero. That won't ever change."_

" _Let's make a deal, then, young Midoriya. I'll return in one year; when I return, if you can turn yourself into someone worthy of being a hero, even a quirkless hero, I'll grant your wish."_

" _B-b-b-but…"_

" _Heroes exist because of every action they take, not because of grand heroics alone. They are everywhere, in some way or another." All Might waved a wand, seeming to gesture at the entire world with that one arm. "Community service, policemen, those who risk their lives to save others, even those who simply do a good deed without thinking. Before you can join me in this war, you must prove that you'll be able to handle the bleak future that might await you._

" _I've seen the results of your suffering. But if your mind was all I was worried for, I'd simply take you with us. No… you must prove yourself one more time. I'll give you a schedule and pass along word to a few local friends. They'll teach you to fight, and sculpt you into someone worthy of being a hero on the front lines."_

 _All Might extended a hand._

" _Will you accept this? You could still go back to your normal life. And I can promise you, the only thing that always awaits a hero is misery and loss along the way."_

" _Yes!" Izuku never even hesitated._

"Are you going to stand there all day, young Midoriya?" Izuku jumped as All Might snapped him from his memory.

"Ah! S-s-s-sorry… I was just thinking…"

"Were you thinking of the day we met?" Izuku swallowed and nodded. All Might laughed. "I can't blame you. It's been quite a year for you, from what I've heard."

"Mirror Sensei said you'd been checking on me. Thank you…"

"Of course. I wasn't about to leave you high and dry, young Midoriya. A deal is a deal, after all." Izuku nodded, standing a little taller. "Now, lets see what became of the scrawny nerd who dreamt of being a hero!"

Izuku waited. All Might waited.

"Take off your clothes."

"What?!"

"...So I see your progress. Relax, young Midoriya, relax! Take off your jacket." Izuku shook, but did as he was asked.

Three months of work had developed muscle (Izuku had almost none to begin with, so that wasn't hard); six had put on a noticeable amount of muscle and tone. After a full year, Izuku had a defined set of abs, shoulder and chest muscles. His biceps bulged at every movement and even his forearms were obviously developed. Izuku Midoriya had become a fighter.

All Might walked around him in a circle, nodding, poking his arms here and there, or his shoulder.

"Yes, yes, yes yes YES! Very good. You've become a worthy vessel. I wasn't sure you'd be able to stick to the plan, honestly... It would have been beyond almost anyone."

"Thank you… um, what do you mean, 'vessel'?" All Might dragged him to the shore, placing Izuku's back to the water. Suddenly the trench coat dropped to the sand, revealing All Might's inhuman physique. The giant extended his arms wide, turning his eyes to the sky.

"I have waited a long time to find someone in the younger generation. Someone young, as I once was, ready and willing to become the kind of hero this broken society needs. I've decided that you are one worthy to inherit my strength!"

Izuku stared blankly at All Might.

"Huh?" All Might coughed, then glanced down at him.

"That expression is… Come now, young Midoriya! I'm telling you that I'll give you my power! Look alive!"

 _What does he…_ Izuku's jaw dropped as All Might continued.

"Currently, in our society, there is a war between good and evil. People with villainous tendencies run amok, with no force that threatens to stop them. We heroes, as you call us, try our best to do what we can… but we work outside the law. Even if that's true, people know that there are heroes! We drop hints here and there, to let the public know that they are not alone. No one can know our names, some must hide their quirks, faces and voices… we hide in plain sight behind secret identities. But beyond even that, underneath all the layers of secrecy we can create… is the secret of my power!"

"P-power…?"

"I'm talking about my quirk, kid." All Might said, drooping a little at Izuku's reaction. "Quirks… more and more as time goes on our society becomes certain of quirks. They shape who you are, and what you're capable of. But this… My quirk is something special beyond any of that. It's a secret, something akin to the sacred torch of legend that is passed from generation to generation…"

"Passed… you don't mean…!" All Might nodded, and the gleam in his eyes became a noticeable flash. The hero clenched his fist, shaking with the passion of his speech.

"Yes! The power to transfer power… and the name of that vaunted ability to which I've been entrusted with is none other than…

" **One For All** " All Might's fingers opened. Izuku couldn't help but think of a scene from a game, where the items were mere sparkles of light. With everything he'd heard, light pouring from the quirk in All Might's palm didn't seem too far fetched.

"One for… All…"

"One man cultivates the power, that man grants it to another, and again it is fostered and passed down, so that brave hearts with unwavering calls to save lives can bear this might in the face of evil!"

"I… But… Why me…? Why someone like me?" Izuku stammered.

"I've been searching for a successor, recently. The war against the villains… I have come to realize that there may not be a way to end it in my lifetime. If that's the case… I wouldn't mind giving it to you. You, who despite having no quirk at all and being injured at the hands of people like him, leapt out into danger and showed that you can stand amongst heroes! I've tagged you as the next in line…" All Might glanced at Izuku, and the star struck expression he wore, and laughed. "Well, what am I saying? It's been a year after all. If your wish has changed since you began, I'll have to hear it anyways. After all, I'm a man of my word. It's still your decision to make…"

 _It's the same as it was then._ In the span of a moment Izuku knew his answer. He thought back to when All Might had first reached out the hand and offered him this deal, and his reaction. _I don't even have to think, do I?_

"Yes please…" All Might chuckled, and his eyes flashed brightly one again as they shook hands.

"A quick answer… I expected as much, young Midoriya."

 **Looking back on that moment, as I tell you this story, I can't help but think that maybe… If I'd looked more closely at his eyes… Maybe I could have realized what would happen in the near future. That we could have saved everyone if I'd just known a little more about the world…**

Interlude

Ochako Uraraka (age Fifteen)

That morning started like any other. Ochako was awake early to see her daddy off to work, bleary eyed though she was. Growing up hadn't made her a morning person. Her parents shared a quiet moment and a little breakfast, then the women went back to bed. Ochako's mother didn't have to be to be at work until later that morning, and Ochako took her morning sleepiness from her mother's side after all.

Ochako woke up to the sound of the door splintering.

It was an ice water, fire alarm sort of awareness: all adrenaline, with no real feeling of being 'awake'. Carefully she listened to the footsteps beating through the hall, then into the bedroom across from hers. Quickly as she could, she raced to the boxes stacked in her room and huddled behind them. Her mother cried out, and suddenly Ochako froze.

 _Mommy… I'm… I'm hiding and they're going to… Mommy!_ Ochako ran. She threw the door open and charged into the living room, finding a group of three thugs standing there in the living room with her mommy struggling in their grasp. The scene horrified her enough that she screamed and threw herself forward. The first thug grunted in surprise as she threw him up to the ceiling. Amidst the shouting and the confusion the second tripped and fell, then found himself as weightless as the first one. Before Ochako could throw herself at the last invader, he grabbed her mother by the neck and pressed a knife against her skin.

"Well well well… I didn't think that we'd get two hostages in one day. This is better than I…" HIs eyes bugged out of his head as Ochako's mother kicked upward and landed her foot squarely between his legs. A line of blood appeared on her neck as she pushed past the knife and grabbed Ochako's hand.

They ran. Ochako's lungs burned, but nothing could stop them. As they reached the bottom of the apartment complex, three new enemies came running up. Ochako fell as her mother threw herself forward, tangling the three of them together.

"RUN OCHAKO!"


	5. Chapter 4

Chpt 4: Gravity (Assembling the Players pt 1)

Izuku Midoriya (age Fifteen)

It had been six months since he left home. After he'd taken One for All, they'd left the city he called home and never looked back. All Might and Gran Torino had taken over training him though Gran Torino had been furious at first. Apparently he'd been the one in charge of everything, being All Might's teacher once upon a time. Aside from being a hero, he was their connection to the generation who'd fought before All Might and a mentor to everyone in the heroes' leadership. All Might was the brute force and the face of their leadership. Fat Gum was their shield and the 'counselor', though that was just Izuku's personal name for the overly joyful hero. Hound Dog was their surveillance around whatever temporary base they set up, and they brought in several other mercenary types wherever they went. More and more, Izuku was discovering the groups of heroes who gathered in each local area of Japan to fight crime. The world seemed to be held together by scotch tape, but on the surface, it WAS holding.

Despite his status as All Might's heir (which was currently under wraps, most heroes thought he was just another apprentice hero) he was expressly forbidden from fighting. When they stopped travelling for a few days, All Might and Gran Torino would spar with him and instruct him on One for All and the mechanics.

One for All stockpiled power. It wasn't a flashy quirk unless it was used that way. All Might had warned him that he wouldn't actually _show_ that he was _using_ the power. It would simply be there. Izuku had always held it to be something… **more**. How long had he spent blowing up his body when he tried to _power up_ or **use** One for All? Gran Torino had laughed when Izuku had begun muttering about that, and assured him that the power had begun with mere men. Nothing about quirks was godly. Izuku had trained for three days before he'd finally been forced to break it off. Sitting in the kitchen, he'd discovered the secret. Everyone had been shocked at his sudden, happy outburst. Both of his mentors were shocked as he began to glow, emitting bolts of green lightning.

" _He's glowing…?" Gran Torino muttered under his breath. "What the hell…"_

" _Perhaps…" All Might said quietly, once his shock had passed. "The power has exceeded our expectations."_

" _It's green, you big fool. This kid…" Gran Torino grinned. "Maybe you made a good choice after all."_

Time stopped, but the man before him continued to move. Izuku grit his teeth and slid to one side, just enough to avoid the first blow. Another already swung in its place, following him, but it scraped by his side without contact. Even the feeling of his shirt tearing seemed too long. One arm shot up just in time to deflect a blow to his shoulder, but the feeling of it grazing his wrist made him wince.

Suddenly he was on the ground gasping for air and clutching his left side. Izuku had barely seen it, but he couldn't have caught it in time if he'd tried. All Might gave him a thumbs up as he pushed himself up to his knees.

"That was better! You're starting to get used to moving at that speed. But you're distracted."

"Ah, sorry. It's so strange feeling everything stop like that. And you're still faster than I am. It's like I have to block out everything other than what's right in front of my eyes and move on instinct. But even if I did that I wouldn't be faster than you so conditioning is…" Tears leaked from his eyes as All Might chopped him on the head.

"You really are the best at spouting pure nonsense." All Might sighed. "You think too much, Midoriya."

"Sorry… sensei…"

"It's about time for a break anyway. Why don't you head out and get some food for us? Sensei should be back soon, so get enough for five." Izuku nodded. Their current hideout was an old gym, operated by an old vigilante who had more than enough room for their motley crew. Izuku showered and dressed, taking the list and money from All Might before heading down the street at a jog.

Even out in the real world Izuku was thinking of One for All. The feeling of time slowing down, of being able to move that quickly, was an incredible side effect of the superhuman capabilities.

"Even if it feels that way time doesn't really stop. The mind simply moves quicker. Which means that my reaction times aren't much better than normal, I'm just physically faster… if that's the case then it's not just a matter of seeing everything and predicting the moves of the opponent but thinking two steps in advance. Against a speed type quirk this isn't a disadvantage, but it's a different application…"

Standing at the crosswalks, Izuku failed to notice the bubble that slowly appeared around him as people tried to avoid his odd muttering. As soon as people were able to walk, he was jostled back to reality by several people whom his muttering had irked. Izuku blushed and joined the crowd crossing the street. About four blocks from the gym he found a shop, paid for his groceries and began heading back toward the gym. Reaching the crosswalk, Izuku froze with one foot in the street. Without thinking, he activated One for All..

Gut instinct. That was the only way to describe the sudden sick feeling in his gut, and the urge to look to his right. A car was barrelling through the intersection, despite the red light.

Four people were in the crosswalk: a woman in business attire, an older gentleman walking a dog, and a pair of girls his age.

He leapt forward, moving as fast as his upper limits would allow. The woman and the old man, along with his dog, were closest and first. The groceries hit the ground as he rushed back across, gripping the two girls by the waist and rushing across the street. Half a second after his feet skidded to a stop, the car tore through the crosswalk. A gust of wind and green lightning broke the calm following the vehicle. Izuku sighed and stood up, watching as a pair of police cars came following the car in question. Only then did he become aware of the staring.

Blushing Izuku glanced at the two girls beside him, then reached for his bags. His groceries were safe, so he took them and pushed through the crowd without another word. A block away, he took a deep breath and tried to calm his nerves.

"I… I moved without thinking…"

"Heeeeeeeey!" Izuku jumped nearly a foot in the air when a voice called out from behind him. A glance over his shoulder caught sight of the two girls heading in his direction. Panic overwhelmed him, but his feet remained frozen to the ground. He could only watch and stammer nonsense as they reached him. "Were you the one who moved us out of the way back there?"

Izuku shook his head furiously on pure instinct. All Might would kill him… No, Gran Torino would DEFINITELY kill him if they found out he had done something like that.

"Huh? Then what were you doing there acting so strange?" The talkative girl put her hands on her hips, staring at him with wide brown eyes. Her companion simply watched quietly, making small… were those _croaking_ sounds?

"I-I-I-I…"

"Maybe he was saved by the same person as we were." The quiet one suddenly piped up. Izuku nodded furiously. The talkative girl didn't seem to accept that.

"Well… maybe. Sorry for bothering you." The talkative girl bowed her head, and the two turned to leave. Izuku took a breath once they were far enough away, and smiled shyly to himself.

 _I talked to a girl!_ (Didn't actually say anything…)

He glanced after them, committing them to memory: the talkative one had wide brown eyes and a round face, with long brown bangs and her hair cut to her shoulders. The quieter one walked stopped, and had a strangely shaped face; most likely, he realized, due to a metamorphic quirk. Something about her wide mouth caused him to put her down as a frog, though he couldn't really say it with confidence.

 _The first people I've ever saved… other than Kacchan…_ Izuku grinned to himself, then took a shaky step in the direction of the gym. _I can do this…!_

Luckily All Might bought his story about dropping the groceries by mistake, which meant Izuku was in the clear. Once they were done, Izuku immediately requested another training session. All Might seemed curious, and with a little persuading he accepted. Standing in the middle of boxing ring, Izuku felt himself begin quaking. He'd been training most of that day, and then had spontaneously moved back at the crosswalk. Truly, he was exhausted. But he had glimpsed a solution when he'd saved those people. He faced All Might with a shaky smile.

"Sensei… please come at me…!" All Might frowned.

"You won't be able to dodge that way, young Midoriya."

"Please, sensei… I think I have an idea of how I can speed up." All Might hesitated, then took his stance. His face creased in that familiar smile, and his eyes gleamed.

"If that's the case, young Midoriya… Here I come!"

As All Might rushed forward to throw the punch, Izuku activated as much of One for All as he could handle. The punch slowed down to a more… manageable speed. Izuku slid to the side and rushed forward. All Might leapt back, then lunged forward. Izuku slid under the punch and threw a kick at All Might's side, only to watch All Might leap to the opposite side and rush back.

Despite his attempts, he was floored in three more moves. All Might caught swept his legs out from under him the moment he slowed down, and Izuku suddenly felt the full-body ache that came with pushing his body's limits on All for One. He glanced up at All Might.

"I… I realized what you meant… when you said I was thinking too much…" All Might set a gentle hand on Izuku's shoulder.

"You did more than that, Midoriya. That was amazing progress. I'd say you've sped up… or were you pushing your limits again?" All Might's glare made Izuku chuckle guiltily, but they shared the laugh in the end. "You're slowly mastering One for All. Soon you'll be able to go out on patrol with us."

All Might tapped his head with a finger when he saw Izuku's expression.

"Not yet! You aren't ready for that yet, but perhaps soon." Izuku nodded, then collapsed and winced at the soreness covering his body. All Might eyed him for a moment or two, then exited the ring. "Show and rest up, young Midoriya. I'm sure Gran Torino will expect you for his evening training."

Gran Torino _did_ expect him in top shape for evening training. Fighting Gran Torino and his jets was too different from boxing with All Might to compare it to fighting. Most of the time it was Izuku dodging as many blows as he could before he or Gran Torino grew too tired to continue. That evening Izuku actually managed to land a few blows, which seemed to infuriate the old man to the point of dueling for real. By the time it was over, Izuku was sure he'd be covered in bruises.

"That was impressive." Gran Torino grumbled as they recovered. His eyes narrowed. "Toshi said you were having trouble moving like that."

"Ah… I'm still not used to moving while I'm using One for All. I can use it on instinct, but I still slip up. My limit is still too short for me to be useful in a real fight long term." Gran Torino chuckled.

"Who are you again?" Izuku stared at him blankly. Gran Torino had a bad habit of springing odd questions like that once in a while, but usually they were a part of his good natured side. "Remember, you're young, and you're sparring against the strongest heroes in Japan. Most of the rabble we deal with could barely handle you like this."

"Then…"

"Toshi has high hopes for you, boy." Gran Torino sighed. "I don't like to indulge him, but this was his choice. You have potential… which is good, because he expects you to usher in an age of peace as his successor. He's looking far into the future. I don't blame him. But if something goes wrong, then we're all going to suffer for it. Eventually you'll come along and learn what a real fight is like. For now, be satisfied with what you've got."

Izuku sighed, staring up at the ceiling of the gym. Gran Torino stood up and wandered toward the door.

"As far as pushing your limit, you'll have to work on your quirk yourself. If you don't learn it yourself you'll never be able to fully master it."

Izuku remained long after Gran Torino was gone. He was sore all over, and in several places where he took blows from his mentors. Gran Torino didn't ever offer real advice or teaching: at best he said that Izuku wasn't using it to its full potential (though he'd stopped that once Izuku had achieved his Full Cowl) or telling him he had to figure it out himself. Every step of the way Izuku had been pushing himself while All Might and Gran Torino simply did their best to push him along with each of his different versions of the quirk. All Might used it as naturally as breathing… but he was also naturally stronger than average. And had years on Izuku.

Through his shower, and on the way to bed, he thought of what his mentors had said. Remembering the car incident, he seemed like he was on the verge of something else. He'd moved without thinking and he'd pushed himself far beyond what he thought he was capable of. It had been almost prophetic, that he'd seen the car and been able to save those girls. But his quirk had come to him naturally, and his body had simply _moved_. There was a rush that had come with it, something more than adrenaline…

Sleep didn't come quickly that night, tired as he was. His mind was racing too fast.

The next few days were all too similar. At his request they stepped up the sparring, and Izuku began to feel the backlash too quickly for his own taste. A week of hard training had passed before All Might decided he needed a day off and sent him out into the city to try and relax.

Wandering around the city wasn't relaxing at first, but it gave him time to settle down. He bought an ice cream and enjoyed the first cheat he'd had in a long time, then found a park to sit and just enjoy the autumn scenery.

"Oh, you're the boy from the crosswalk!" Izuku jumped as a familiar voice called out to him from the sidewalk. The brown-haired talkative girl from the crosswalk incident bounced over to his bench and smiled at him. "I never got your name. I'm Uraraka Ochako."

"Uuuummm… Mm-m-midoriya Izuku…" he managed.

"I was worried it wasn't you at first. You're kinda hard to recognize. But I figured not many people had green hair as curly as that and gave it a shot…" Uraraka laughed. "I was kind of worried about you. You seemed really shaken up the last time I saw you."

"Oh I… was just really shocked… Everything happened so fast, after all." Izuku rubbed the back of his neck idly. "Um… did you want to sit down…? I feel bad, letting you stand…"

The girl thanked him and took a seat, still smiling brightly.

"So you're all better now?" Izuku nodded quickly. "I'm glad! That was really crazy. I couldn't even see everything that happened, so when we all ended up on the sidewalk I was really confused… But whoever did that was really incredible!"

"Incredible?"

"Yeah don't you think? I mean, they moved faster than a car! And saved everyone in the crosswalk! If everyone used their quirk for things like that, then we wouldn't have so many problems with people going crazy." Izuku noticed the pain in her voice as she trailed off, immediately feeling responsible.

"Well, I mean, that's a bit far right? How often does that kind of thing really happen anyway…?" Uraraka's smile suddenly grew a little shy, even a little sad. The way she looked at him said it all: _How could someone normal understand?_

"I think it happens pretty often. But I guess you're right; It's not like everyone can have incredible quirks. And a lot of people would just end up getting hurt in the fighting."

"Uraraka… um… this may sound… forward, or pretentious… but are you alright? Did something happen?" Izuku spoke as soon as it came to mind, then blushed and looked everywhere but her face in an attempt to make sense of his own rudeness. "I mean, you seemed really down and I just thought that maybe I could help! You seem really nice so it would be terrible if you had to go through anything really scary or something like that!"

Uraraka looked at him for a moment, blank faced, then smiled and laughed. The way she tilted her head and grinned at him made his heart flutter.

"You're really nice, Midoriya. Thanks! But I'm okay right now." Izuku nodded and swallowed, looking squarely at the ground between his feet. The buzzing of his phone caught him off guard, and he jumped into the air in shock again before he realized what it was and fished it out.

"H-h-hello…?"

"Where are you?" All Might's voice came across the line.

"All… I'm just in a park nearby… I didn't go too far. I forget the name…"

"That's not important. Do you remember the boy who you saved from the slime villain?"

"Kacchan? Of course…"

"He's here. With a few members of that local gang you told us about. We think there might be a turf war about to happen."

"What do you need me to do?"

"You need to return to the gym. Things might get bad. The local group has a lot of firepower. If things spill out…"

"Let me come! I can help! I'll stay back and provide support… I know Kacchan and those guys better than any of you!"

"...You aren't ready for something like this. It could turn into a large scale war if these two groups manage to reach one another…"

"All Might." The voice paused. "Please… I'm ready. I can't get any better just sparring with you."

Izuku was whispering now, obviously piquing the interest of his new friend Uraraka with his sudden shadiness. After a long silence a sigh came across.

"Fine. You can support, but under no circumstances are you to engage. If you get hurt…"

"Yes! Thank you sensei!" Izuku stood up once All Might asked him to return, feeling tremors running through him. "Um, sorry, Uraraka, but I need to get going…"

"Did you say All Might?" Uraraka's eyes went wide as she stood up to face him.

"Uh…"

"You know All Might…" Uraraka's eyes widened. "It _was_ you at the crosswalk the other day, wasn't it...?"

"I…"

"Take me with you!" Izuku's jaw dropped.

"What?"

"Take me with you? Please introduce me to All Might! I need to meet him!"

"You know All Might?" Izuku asked. Uraraka nodded.

"The family I'm staying with, they show the little kids All Might clips when they have nightmares. They look up to him." Izuku was impressed. While All Might and the heroes had gained more publicity in the past year and a half they were still rumors and unconfirmed video clips. "Please! I need to speak with him!"

"I… I'm not sure…"

"I'm begging you, Midoriya!" Uraraka grabbed his hand, and Izuku felt his willpower crumble as her eyes began to glisten with what he prayed weren't tears.

 _She's… so close…_

"I… I guess… but he might be angry, so please don't take anything the wrong way…"

"Of course! I won't get in the way!" Uraraka's expression darkened, changing from innocently shining to something more… desperate. Her brow furrowed, casting a shadow over her face that seemed incredibly intimidating (at least to Izuku).

Interlude

Katsuki Bakugo (age Fifteen)

The train was a pain in the ass. Finding a place to hole up was a bigger pain in the ass, and the ignorant fucks looking for blood under his command were even worse than all of it. Every one of them was pissed and looking to hit something. Katsuki's job was simple: find the guys who'd picked a fight and put them in the hospital as a warning. Bringing the crew? That was something Rusty had told him to do. The ten flunkies he'd been gifted were all looking to tear him down and head back to the boss with some story. Everyone in the gang was looking to move up. Katsuki wasn't new. He'd spent a year under Rusty, and six months managing the gang's enforcers without having to worry about Rusty at all. Not a single one of the members he'd brought would be able to fight him.

Having one of them go rogue and make this into a war? That would be a problem.

It wasn't so much that Katsuki was tired of sitting a room full of bloodlust and stupidity. The gang required him to do that all the time. He wasn't sure how Rusty stood working with the morons beneath him. It was more that he was constantly being poked and prodded with insults. Putting one of his own men in the hospital would only be an option once they were done. He had to finish his job first. After a full day of sitting around doing nothing, one of the men stood up and tossed Katsuki a cell phone.

"This where their place is?" The men sneered and began to move. Katsuki smiled to himself. "Slow down. We move in an hour. How long will it take us to get there?"

"About an hour or so walking."

"Fine. We'll get there just after dark. That's perfect… I finally get to blow off a little steam." The way he glared at a few of the men made it all too clear that he had more than one target. Suddenly the bloodlust drained from the thugs, and nervousness filled the room as they realized just what they'd gotten themselves into.


	6. Chapter 5

Chpt 5: The Fated Battle Between Men (Assembling the Players pt2)

Izuku Midoriya (age Fifteen)

Izuku had to fight very, _very_ hard to keep the word "date" out of his mind.

Nearly three hours had passed since he'd encountered Uraraka in the park, and time had run by quickly. Neither of them (even Izuku, the disciple) had expected All Might to be _that_ angry. His expression when Izuku had introduced them had been beyond terrifying. To the hero's credit, everyone had calmed down once they'd heard Uraraka's story. No one had tried to send her away or scold Izuku after the fact (Izuku kept very quiet on how little he'd known about her beforehand), but none had been particularly happy at the idea of two young wild cards lying in wait on the edge of their operation. It had taken All Might's final word to settle the matter.

After they'd changed into some more discrete clothes (hooded jackets, leggings and jogging pants), the two of them had been given masks and sent to wait on the edge of the 'combat zone'.

 _Young Uraraka is in your care, young Midoriya._ All Might had said, gazing at him rather harshly. _I expect neither of you two to move from that spot unless told otherwise, understood?_

For the second time in one day, Izuku was trapped at the side of a cute young woman his age. Between blushing embarrassment at his frantic imagination and worry for the safety of everyone involved, his nerves were frayed by the end of an hour.

"Midoriya… Are you, all right?" Uraraka's nervous expression made him curse himself under his breath.

"I… was muttering again, wasn't I…"

"Mmmm… Something about, uh, explosions and Kacchans…" Uraraka laughed at his apology, waving it off.

"Honestly I'm not normally involved in the hero operations. But an old friend of mine is involved, and I was wondering about how the fight will go…"

"Is he a hero?" Uraraka's eyes lit up. Izuku's nervous smile fell, changing into a somber expression.

"No… He's a member of one of the gangs back home. Apparently, he's one of the people in charge."

"O-oh…"

"By the time I left we weren't friends, but I studied him and his quirk. I got a lot of data on it firsthand." Izuku frowned. "His quirk is strong but he's… Kacchan is at his best in a fight. No matter who his opponent is, unless they're All Might or someone of that level, you can't count him out. I've been away for half of a year now, and he was a high-level member of the gang before I left… I can't imagine how wild he's become now."

"All Might let you come because you knew him?" Izuku nodded.

"Yeah… I guess I ended up getting you involved in my old fight somehow… Sorry, Uraraka…"

"No, no!" Uraraka waved her hands. Izuku chuckled slightly at how animated her movements were. "I asked to join the heroes after all! Honestly, I think you're really cool, Midoriya… Facing this the way you are. I'll do my best to help if anything goes wrong, okay?"

Izuku's eyes widened. His eyes teared up, which added embarrassment to the flood of emotions welling up inside of him; but facing such an honest expression from a girl whom he'd barely met…

"I… you're incredible… Uraraka…" He whispered quietly. Uraraka titled her head.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you…"

"Ah, nothing! Just muttering again." Uraraka's smile had a strong effect on him. Darker emotions inside him seemed to shrink or fade, leaving him feeling much better than before.

 _That's right. You can't sit around moping anymore. This is the beginning for you: as a hero instead of just some quirkless reject. And the first obstacle is him._

Katsuki Bakugo (age Fifteen)

Most people would tell you parading a group of ne'er-do-wells through the middle of the street wasn't smart. Even the most bloodthirsty members of Katsuki's hit squad were nervous at the idea of strolling casually down the middle of the busy street… and yet their boss was doing just that. Katsuki knew all too well that most of them were about to piss themselves every time a car passed by. He didn't care.

Cars swerved around them, mostly, or slowed enough that they wouldn't do any damage. After fifteen minutes, he began to hear sirens and see fewer cars. That made him grin. When he saw the police barricade he chuckled and pulled out his cell phone. Rusty had given him a number to call when he was looking for a negotiation.

 _Hello?_

"Oy. I'm looking for someone named Duke."

 _Speaking…_ _Who the fuck is this?_

"We're here from Rusty. You put a few of our guys in the hospital a few days ago. Either you send out the guy who did it, or I start putting everyone I see in the hospital till you guys come out and stop me."

 _The fuck you think you are…? No way I'm sending out one of my men._ Katsuki smiled.

"Can you hear the sirens outside your place?"

… _Is that a threat…?_

"I don't make threats. Rusty sent me with an ultimatum… and I'm giving you a promise, you piece of shit extra." Katsuki's palm popped with a few explosions before he began clenching it and working his wrist and fingers. "If I don't get the one responsible, tied up and delivered to me in the next hour, I'll blow your city to shit and fucking kill you…!"

 _Man, I'd like to see you try…_ _wait, what the fuck do you mean there's cops outside…?_ _Hey what the fuck… You're a fucking kid? What the hell does Rusty think he's doing sending a shrimp like you to collect from ME? I'll rip your fuckin…_

Katsuki hung up the phone, growling and smiling as his hands began popping rapidly. The men behind him backed away nervously as he began to laugh. Laughter, bubbling like froth from his mouth, turned to cackling as he took his first step.

"Haaaaaaaaaa… Finally… I get to cut loose on something…!" Katsuki growled, heading towards the police cars. He spared a glance over his shoulder. "Don't any of you fucks dare coming after me. The pigs are mine. You're just here to back me up."

Izuku Midoriya

Ten minutes after the explosions started, All Might called him.

"Young Midoriya… your old friend… You said his name was Bakugo, correct?"

"Yes… All Might?" The voice on the other end of the line seemed distant.

"He's a young boy with platinum blonde hair and red eyes? And his quirk lets him use explosions from his hands?"

"That sounds like him. The quirk is exactly his. Is he there?"

"Young Midoriya… Bakugo… just single-handedly wiped out a police barricade with his bare hands." All Might's voice was quiet. Izuku felt a nervous smile on his face even as his stomach churned.

"…It's been a while since I left. I guess he's gotten stronger as well…"

"…We'll message you if the two groups go to war. Young Midoriya, please send the details for his quirk and physical abilities that you can remember to us through the phone. Just in case."

"…Yes sir…" Izuku hung up the phone and swallowed the build up in his throat.

"Midoriya…? Is everything all right?"

"Everyone is fine." Izuku's fingers danced across the keyboard rapidly as he talked. "Kacchan… Bakugo, he went a little wild."

"What do you mean?" Izuku shoved the phone in his pocket and gripped the front of his jacket to settle his shaking hands.

"All Might… said Kacchan took out the police barricade single-handedly." Uraraka's eyes went wide. In most cases, Izuku wouldn't have believed it either. _I shouldn't believe it… but he probably could. He's vicious enough._ "We're not supposed to go anywhere unless something happens."

"Midoriya, you're shaking," Uraraka murmured, reaching a hand toward him. He gripped his own arm instead and looked down at his fist, trying to steady himself.

 _I'm afraid… I've thought about it a few times, but I never imagined that we'd have to actually fight. Am I excited…? Why do I want to face him?_ Izuku looked out over the city.

"I'll be okay, Uraraka. They'll take care of this and be back soon. Nothing can stop All Might, right?" The smile he showed was half for her and half for himself. He wondered which of them needed it more.

Katsuki Bakugo

"So you finally showed up, eh?" Katsuki grinned at the crowd streaming slowly from the building. His own group of flunkies stood tensely behind him, clear of the flaming wreckage that was the police barricade. One of the newcomers stepped forward first, looking back forth between Katsuki and the wreckage.

"I heard Rusty had a new enforcer. I didn't think it was some brat with temper issues." Katsuki ground his teeth, keeping a smile forcibly showing on his lips. "That was a hell of a rampage. You got my attention."

"You're Duke?" 'Duke' was a thug in his mid-twenties, tattooed across his face and arms and wearing piercings through his nose and ears. He was dressed similarly to Katsuki, in a tank top, pants and boots. Duke waved his arms briefly and shrugged. Katsuki grunted. "My deal expires in ten minutes. Give me the bitch or you all fucking die."

"You're gutsy. I'll give you that." Duke laughed. "But we're a hell of a lot stronger than some punk kids who took on a few cops. You're on our turf. No one can stop us once we get started."

Katsuki checked the time on his phone and sighed.

"Fuck, you're a lucky son of a bitch… Boss told me to give you fucking hour. One second sooner and there'll be hell to pay."

"What, you can't move without daddy's orders? You got a curfew too?" Katsuki glared at Duke but didn't move.

The street was empty, though a helicopter could be heard flying around above them. Considering the flaming wall of cop cars, there would be a pretty severe response. Katsuki was planning on it. He glanced at his group of ten. Three metamorphic quirks, three normal looking ones who were decent in a fight, and four he hadn't personally vetted yet. The situation wasn't ideal, but he had Rusty's word that they could handle themselves if it came down to war.

 _Rusty knew it would come to this, didn't he… this is a fucking test. Goddamn it all._ Katsuki snarled, letting off a firecracker sound from both hands. His allies flinched back and turned a nervous eye between each other and their boss. Faking his smile became harder and harder once he felt the battle approaching.

"Five minutes, Duke. You sure you don't wanna just give the fucker up while you can?" Katsuki popped his fingers and began stretching his arms, glancing at the enemy. Duke flipped up his middle finger and stared Katsuki down. _Two minutes…_

Izuku Midoriya

The fighting started soon after the sunset. All Might sent a message that heroes were moving in on the gang fighting. Explosions and shouting echoed through the streets to where Izuku and Uraraka were waiting, causing them both to tense up. Silence hung between them. About a half hour after things began, the battle still seemed to rage even louder.

Izuku was wound tighter and tighter as the fight wore on. On one side there was worry for the heroes, for everyone involved. The other was the idea that Bakugo was involved in this kind of warfare.

A roar echoed through the streets, along with a thick, heavy sound and a small quake. Izuku could only guess that a building had come down. Desperation welled up inside of him.

 _Call All Might? No… he'll be watching the fight and moving in when things get bad enough… I can't…_

"Uraraka…"

"Hm? Midoriya, you're not…"

"I'm going. You should stay here."

"I'm coming with you!" Uraraka bounced up, managing a determined expression. "I won't let you go out there alone. I can't watch someone else fight for me anymore."

Izuku met her eyes for almost a minute, wondering how he could dissuade her. Alarm bells in his head forced him to act instead. He donned his mask and watched her do the same.

"Alright. But stay close and make sure you yell if anything happens." She nodded, and the two began walking. "Um… What was your quirk again?"

"If I can touch something with my fingers, I can negate the gravity affecting it. But I can only do so much before I get nauseous, and the amount I can support adds up even once I've set it down. So it's not really that useful…"

"That's an awesome power." Izuku said quickly. He smiled, though he knew he couldn't see it through the masks. "Don't put yourself down, Uraraka, that's a really powerful quirk."

They began jogging through the streets, heading closer to the fight. Izuku internally laid out four or five ideas using One for All and Uraraka's quirk.

What they arrived to was far beyond anything they'd expected.

On one side, the wreckage of the cop cars remained where Bakugo had left them. Rubble covered the still smoking cars and unconscious bodies covered the rubble. Izuku guessed around thirty or forty thugs were involved in the fight, but now there were only about twenty. He could see a few masked, colorfully dressed faces moving through the crowd and trying to fight the thugs or incapacitate them, but the fights were mostly happening while everyone ran from the monster that rampaged down the street.

Across the street from Izuku and Uraraka, one of the buildings had a large hole in the side: neither of them had to wonder what had come out. A large black shape wreaked havoc a little further down the street. Izuku had never seen anything like it: it seemed to have a large beak and yellow eyes, but the shape was fluid and full of shadowy limbs. The monster seemed to be made of solid shadows, though that didn't stop it from destroying everything. All Might was currently engaging it, throwing punches here and there only to growl when the beast dodged him and knocked him off balance.

"What… IS that…?" Uraraka murmured. Izuku tapped her shoulder.

"Uraraka, we need to check the building across the street." Izuku's eyes scanned the rubble and the shell that remained. "It could have reinforcements or weapons, or even prisoners. We need to get everyone out and make sure nothing else can go wrong."

"Midoriya…" Izuku could hear the questions in her voice. She probably wanted to help All Might or go save the people on the rubble pile. But he was dead set on what he thought was best. "All right."

Izuku charged out across the battlefield, occasionally punching out a thug or settling a fight between two of them with a quick burst of moves. Quietly surprised that Uraraka managed to stay close to him, he pushed on until they reached the building. Without thinking, he hoisted her up as soon as they reached the wreckage, jumping up to one of the higher floors of the building and heading inside. He could hear her breathing heavily behind him as he checked the rooms, but he couldn't slow down much. Something was driving him forward. Halfway through the search, they found a girl strapped to a table. Izuku entered and immediately left the room, sending Uraraka inside instead of him.

 _She was naked…!_ Izuku took a moment to get over his blush and the butterflies in his stomach, listening intently to the voices coming through the door.

"Are you okay?"

"That voice… who are you?"

"I'm here to help you. Are you hurt?"

"No… But my friend is on a rampage outside, I need to get to him!"

"Wait, you can't move yet! Slow down. Here, cover yourself up and let's move slowly…"

Izuku turned to them as soon as they stumbled through the doorway, thankful that Uraraka had covered the girl in a blanket (though he couldn't do anything about the image already in his mind). The prisoner was a girl roughly their age, with a shaved head and long legs. She seemed healthy enough, though she was having trouble moving around. Red marks remained on her skin where she'd been tied down to the table.

"A-are you okay?" The girl nodded.

"Please, I need you to get me outside… My friend is on a rampage, if we don't stop him soon he could hurt someone!" Izuku's eyes widened.

"That monster outside… that's a person?!" The girl shook her head.

"No… His quirk is that monster. The people who captured us, they stirred the monster up until it was rabid and then set it on whoever attacked the base. He's inside the monster, and it's killing him!"

Izuku ran through a list of possibilities, thinking of ways to counter the monster outside.

"Do you know how to stop it?"

"Light. The monster is weak against light. But the darker it gets, the more powerful it becomes. Is it daytime?"

"No, the sun set about an hour ago. We'll be in trouble if that monster gets any more powerful. The fires should stop him though... We'll need to hurry. Uraraka, get her outside. Hide in the alley between the buildings, the one on the other side of the police barricade. I'll bring anyone else out if I find them, but I'll need to go faster." Uraraka nodded. The girl's eyes went wide.

"Wait, my friend…"

"I'm sorry. He's fighting some friends of ours, but I need to make sure no one gets hurt here. She and I have been ordered to avoid the fighting." Izuku ground his teeth together. "I… I'll let them know. I'll go as fast as I can! I promise you, I'll get your friend out safe! But for now, you need to leave and recover! Uraraka, get her out of here."

Izuku turned up the power until he felt his body began to ache under the strain. He vaguely heard a gasp as lightning flared up around him and he shot down the corridor checking rooms as quickly as possible.

Ochako Uraraka

Ochako was continuously shocked by the young man she'd been partnered with. Her first impression of him had been a meek, nervous person who was, for lack of a better word, plain. Then she'd met him in the park and he'd gone out of his way to ask her if she needed help. At first he'd just been someone who was pitying her, trying to be nice. When she'd overheard his phone call her eyes had widened and begun fitting the pieces together. Anyone who knew All Might had to be someone who saved people… or close to it. Nothing had added up when she'd encountered him after the crosswalk incident but suddenly it all clicked into place.

His expression when she'd called him out said it all. But being introduced to All Might by the boy, and then discovering the other heroes had been incredible. Part of her had reeled a bit when she learned he was All Might's apprentice: All Might was something of a symbol after all. If sputtering, nervous little Izuku Midoriya was his apprentice then he should've been more… amazing, right?

When things had begun getting bad, he'd known. Despite his fear, anxiety, despite the orders and the threats from All Might, he was going to the fight. Upon arriving, he'd changed even more. Once he'd been nervous, shaking and insecure... all that melted in the face of the battle, and he'd become someone willing to charge in against the odds. On the scene he gave off an aura of assurance and calm. No one could see his face but she could feel steel in his voice and see it in the way he'd taken out the fighters below. She'd been shocked as he picked her up and lifted them up to the fifth floor without even trying. Without even using her quirk. In the dark hallways, she could see the lightning surrounding him as he zipped from doorway to doorway, and then she noticed he was obviously slowing down for her.

Watching him fly off, like a bullet of green lightning, made it clear she'd only just scratched the surface of who Izuku Midoriya was.

"Your friend is really something." The girl's voice snapped Ochako out of her reverie. Suddenly she remembered she was carrying a girl (who, by all rights, was much larger than she was) and that her muscles were screaming at her. Cursing herself for a fool, she activated her quirk on the girl and the blanket before turning on her heel and running off down the hallway.

"How are you feeling?" The girl coughed, looking at her with a strange expression.

"I'm fine… just not used to moving around. Sorry you had to carry me…"

"Don't worry about it." Ochako smiled. They reached the edge of the building where she and Midoriya had entered. A groan came from the girl as she covered her eyes from the street lights and spotlights. When her eyes had adapted, she gasped at the scene. Ochako was paralyzed by the sight as well.

The thugs were almost all handled. Nearly all the heroes were nearly out too, though. A small group of four stood in the middle of the street against the rampaging shadow beast, but otherwise people were haphazardly strewn across the street like rag dolls

"Tokoyami…" The girl murmured. Ochako glared at the monster, then hefted the girl in her arms.

"I'm going to send you down there. My quirk will keep you from falling, so you'll just float down. All right? I'll come right after you're down." The girl nodded and gasped as Ochako let her go and pushed her gently toward the street. Once the girl was down, Ochako ground her teeth together and jumped. Making herself weightless could only last so long. It made her insides all mushy, much worse than other objects ever did. As she reached the ground she felt something hot rising up her throat and forced it down. No time for her to be sick.

Grabbing her patient, she ran over to the barricade and settled on the sidewalk as far from the fight as she could get without disappearing entirely. Ochako stood and turned, yelping when she found Midoriya zipping toward her. He paused long enough to throw down two men whom he'd apparently tied up with sheets.

"I ran into these guys but the building seems mostly empty. I've gotta do one more check, are you two all right here?" Ochako nodded once and gazed after him when he tore off. The wind he'd kicked up in her face added more layers onto the growing admiration she felt for her new 'friend'. Ochako checked over the two thugs bindings and nodded, then sat down next to the girl and began checking her over. Besides being stiff, she seemed fine to Ochako. Medical expertise wasn't her strong suit, though.

"I never got your name. I'm Ochako Uraraka." The girl smiled weakly.

"I… my name's Momo Yaoyorozu. Thank you for getting me out of there, Uraraka." Ochako nodded.

"Um… You seem mostly okay other than your wrists and ankles. Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

"I'm fine..." Momo muttered. Her eyes kept turning to the barricade and the roars that came from the other side. Ochako was stunned that there was so much trouble taking the beast down.

"You said he was your friend… Why were you two kept?" Mom turned to Ochako and grimaced. The blanket parted a bit and a cup materialized from her arm. Ochako's eyes widened as water came pouring off the girl's finger tips till it filled the glass.

"…My quirk is Creation. They kidnapped me a long time ago, and I've been stuck in there making their bullets and money and…" Momo ground her teeth. Her eyes teared up as she talked about it. "The table… They put it there and strapped me down, so they could use me."

Ochako mulled over the words, and every single terrible thing that must have happened. Part of her rose up in fury. How could people be such _animals_? Momo was a beautiful girl, and they'd turned her into a factory. Worse, probably. They were cut off by Midoriya appearing in a burst of green light, dropping three more thugs on top of the others.

"I'm going to join the fight. You two stay here, all right?" Ochako didn't even have time to say anything before a blond boy flew across the street, riding a series of explosions through the air. Ochako blinked- a fierce wind suddenly blasted her mask. When she opened her eyes, she was across the street sitting behind a tree with Momo beside her. Midoriya stood between them pulling his arms from them both.

Ochako glanced across the street, where the pile of thugs Midoriya had left writhed against the wall under the blond boy's foot.

 _In a second… he grabbed us…?_ She turned and looked at Midoriya. Being close enough, combined with the light of his glow through the mask, she could see through the opaque face. His eyes were green emeralds, glowing from the use of his quirk. _Is he even human?_

"Kacchan… huh…" He muttered under his breath. Ochako turned back and looked at the blond boy across the street. He'd found them and was coming back.

"That's him?" She asked. Midoriya nodded.

"I'll deal with him. Stay here and keep her safe Uraraka."

"Wait, what about Tokoyami!" Momo blurted. Izuku glanced at Momo, cursing quietly under his breath.

"That's right… All right. Uraraka, new plan. Go run to All Might. You need to tell him that there's a person held hostage by their quirk inside the monster. Then get back here. Yell for me if something goes wrong and I'll be there. I promise."

"All right." Uraraka murmured. She was still entranced by the boy across the street and the one holding her in his arms. Midoriya stood and slowly walked across the street. Uraraka stared after him. "The fated battle between men…"

"Uraraka…?"

"So this is the fated battle between men…!"

"Uraraka!" Ochako yelped and jumped up when Momo called her name.

"Sorry! Sorry. I'll be right back, Yaoyorozu. Stay safe."

Ochako grunted as she jogged toward the barricade. The sounds of battle got louder as she grew closer, and explosions began behind her shortly after.

 _Be safe… Everyone…!_

Izuku Midoriya

He'd emptied the building. He'd knocked out anyone who came at him. Everything had been going _fine_. Why did Bakugo have to show up right when he was finishing his mission?

 _Nothing left now._ Izuku stared through his mask at his ex-bully. _If he won't let us go…_

"Who the fuck are you… You think a mask makes you cool, you sick fuck?" Bakugo snarled. The other boy's breathing was labored, but what worried Izuku was the sweat pouring down his face and arms.

"We aren't here to fight you!" Izuku called through his mask. "Just let me and the women go. No one has to get hurt."

"…" Bakugo's expression changed. It was just a bit, but something had ticked with him. Izuku swallowed the soup pooling in his mouth and took a breath. He was shaking again.

 _Get a hold of yourself… You've got to protect them!_

Bakugo didn't give him any warning: Explosions burst from his hands to launch him across the distance between them. Lightning crackled around Izuku as he pushed himself back up to full capacity. In his eyes, Bakugo slowed down to walking speed even as he rode the explosions. Izuku grinned as he dodged, gripping Bakugo by the shoe and hurling him back toward the building across the street.

 _If he's this slow to_ me _, All Might wouldn't even find him challenging…_

Katsuki Bakugo

Shock prevented him from righting himself in the air. Katsuki hit the street and rolled over himself, coming out lying face down on the pavement. He glared at the masked figure, feeling equal tides of fire and ice boiling inside his gut.

 _I recognize that voice… But for now,_ Katsuki stood up and settled into a stance. _He just has an enhancement quirk… Fast doesn't mean better._

Katsuki glanced at the mass of blankets by the tree across the way, wondering just what was so important that this kid (he seemed about Katsuki's age, in height and voice) would go toe to toe with him.

"Just who are you with? Duke? Those weirdos in the suits? That fucking monster?"

"I'm just here to make sure no one gets hurt! I don't want to fight you!" The masked boy never broke stance, but he weakened a bit. Katsuki saw openings appear as he relaxed. Shooting forward with a pair of blasts, he growled.

 _What about him is familiar…?_

Katsuki chased him when his opponent darted backward, then stopped with a sudden burst and tried to grab the mask with his right hand. A pair of arms reached through the smoke and grabbed him by the shoulder, suddenly twisting and throwing Katsuki down on the street again. He gasped as the air was forced from his lungs.

 _What the fuck… he read me like a FUCKING BOOK…!_

Katsuki stood up, wiped the drool from his chin and spat the remainder onto the street.

"I'll fucking kill you…" He growled. His opponent leapt back again as he lunged. Quick as he could, Katsuki set his wrists against each other and let out the brightest, loudest explosion he could. His ears rang as he leapt forward after the disoriented fighter, reaching out for the mask again. When the grab came out again Katsuki grinned and blasted the mask straight in the face. Instead of stopping, he blasted upward through air and stopped straight behind the unsuspecting kid with a blast into his victim's back. Katsuki grinned as he settled and leapt forward again, dodging the punch and going under his opponents reach, only to have his victim suddenly flip backward and handspring out of harm's way. Katsuki snarled again.

 _He's fucking good… He wasn't with fucking Duke though. What's going on…?_

"Who are you!" Katsuki screamed. _Why do you bug me so FUCKING MUCH?_

"I don't want to fight you Kacchan just let us go!"

The realization hit him like a ton of bricks dropped on his head.

 _Only one…!_ He launched forward as fast as he could handle, shooting toward his opponent like a rocket.

 _FUCKING person…!_ Katsuki swung wildly, blasting every chance he got until the smoke created a cloud surrounding them. The kid kept up, but consistently backed away. Katsuki chased him every time, continuing the barrage.

 _EVER CALLED ME THAT_ _ **FUCKING NAME…!**_ Katsuki shot into the air, rocketing back down with extra momentum and kicking his opponent in the back. A wild blast charged up in his palm as the memory of a tear stained, snot filled green eyed boy crawled out of the depths of his brain. The moment the masked boy stood up, Katsuki screamed and let loose with a blast rivalling that of several grenades. Katsuki grimaced at the pain but his hand was only strained, not out of commission. He stalked through the smoke growling as he searched for the body he'd undoubtedly left behind. A green streak spun him around as it rushed by, knocking him to his knees. Katsuki glared at the back of his opponent, catching sight of curly hair poked up from his shoulders. The masked boy stood- no longer masked- and glanced over his shoulder.

"…Deku…?" Katsuki muttered. He tried to stand and stumbled. As he recovered he saw the other masked person running away with whoever they'd wrapped in those blankets. Without a word, 'Deku' turned and sped down the street, grabbing the two runaways and reaching the barrier in a flash.

 _Fucking… quirkless…? Deku?! I LOST?! TO A QUIRKLESS NERD LIKE DEKU?!_

Katsuki screamed, letting loose a massive explosion from both hands as he felt the animal in his gut finally break out.


	7. Update

Hey guys. It hurts to admit, given the things I wanted to do for anyone who read my story at the beginning, that I've been failing to deliver. I'm sorry to anyone who subscribed or offered interest in this story only to have me fall off the wagon.

I've been writing other things and trying to improve. This story honestly became difficult to write, and I tried several times but couldn't make it feel how I liked. But that isn't an excuse.

This story isn't discontinued. I'm rewriting it from the beginning to try and do the idea justice. I'll change one or two things but the plan is the same for the most part. I hope that when I finally post the first chapters you'll give me your support and give the new story a try.

Thank you for everything. I'll get it to you as soon as I'm able.

-Kread


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